Tag Archives: federal spending

Today is Memorial Day. During the course of the day many words, like these, will be written; many parades will be held; many gun salutes at cemeteries; many prayers offered; and many speeches made. All of these will have a singular aim, to remember and honor those who have fallen in defense of our liberty. The Commander in Chief of our military will lay a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and speak words of scripted eloquence again for the purpose of remembering and honoring our fallen heroes. And I will say without hesitation that these are all good things.

Of course, this is a national holiday so most people will be granted a day off from work. Many will spend the time with friends and family enjoying mini-vacations and having fun. There are those who might disparage these activities, and I understand their concern. It could be perceived that such things take the sacrifices of our brave defenders for granted. But I believe that even here, such times can serve as a kind of statement of gratitude which does honor them. I believe that the fallen soldier, if we could ask him, would tell us, “Go ahead and enjoy this respite. After all, the freedom to do so is one of those I and so many others gave our lives to protect. I would only ask that you take some time to remember me and those others and give thanks for our efforts. You can honor us when you remember the price paid for your liberty, and then go and live and enjoy that liberty.”

There are also some who will consciously choose not to honor those who purchased liberty and have preserved it with their lives, for one reason or another, and perhaps even express hostility toward such a celebration of honor. To those people our imaginary fallen soldier might say, “Yes you do have the right to protest and even to denigrate the sacrifices of our defenders. Freedom of speech allows this but be careful that you do not end up biting the hand that provided you your liberty and defends it today. Because in many of the countries you admire and seek to emulate, words like you often spew against our nation would get you shut down with extreme prejudice.”

There is one more group of people which our mythical fallen soldier might want to address, if it were possible. That would be the group of people making up the leadership of our federal government, specifically our elected representatives in the House and Senate, our President, and our Supreme Court justices. That fallen soldier might say, “If you are going to try and honor our memories, begin by remembering what we fought and died for. Remember that we all, like all of you, took an oath and we, unlike you, died fulfilling that oath. Our oaths were not to any of you, they were above all expressing fidelity to the Constitution of the United States. Your oaths call on you to hold fidelity to the same Supreme Law of the Land as well. Why so? Because the purpose of the Constitution is to establish the ideals of liberty spelled out in our Declaration of Independence. If any action of our government violates those principles, it also violates the Constitution, and thus violates your oaths. It doesn’t matter if those actions are self-serving executive orders, ridiculous court rulings which turn the Constitution into silly putty, or congressional actions undermining our military and veterans. As we died keeping our oaths, we call on you to live keeping yours! Then we are truly being remembered with honor.”

Finally, as a veteran I would like to add this. I am a member of an organization called Oath Keepers. We are a group of active duty military, veterans, law enforcement officers, and government officials who seek to keep the oath we all swore. The Constitution we swore an oath of loyalty to gave our federal government limited powers. According to the Constitution, the government is to “promote (not provide for) the general welfare” of the people. Conversely, the Constitution doesstate that one prime purpose of government IS to “PROVIDE FORthe common defense” of the people. Wasting our tax revenue on things such as fraudulent welfare programs, mythical man-made ‘climate change’, free cell phones, government-run health care, and even support of terrorist activity in other lands, both denigrates the sacrifice of the fallen and drains resources better directed back to the people, and toward our “common defense”. If you in Washington truly want to honor the fallen this Memorial Day, stop the unconstitutional overreach before it is too late or we will lose our liberty which was so dearly purchased. You will honor the fallen best if you will Keep…your…oath!

Note from Taylor: My buddy, William K, sent me an email last week in reply to this articlefrom Reason Magazine. I don’t 100% agree with him, especially on foreign policy where I think he’s dead wrong, but he brings up some excellent points.

Hi Taylor,

I almost agree with what he’s saying. I do agree that the GOP has an almost non-existent public policy. I disagree with the idea that the Democrat party has no public policy. It may be that there is nothing distinctly new about their policy, but I believe their policy is to chisel in the public a new dependence upon the types of central planning (efficient government or some other euphemism) which provides the essentials (food, health, transportation, even jobs). Most of the impactful parts of Obamacare have not actually been implemented and can, in theory, still be brought down. What I do agree about is the sort of dishwater leadership we currently have in both chambers and the party at large.

Furthermore, there’s nothing “wrong” with the Democrat policy agenda. It’s working as long as they can tie their failings to the nebulous “other” which is the source of all wrongs. Were it not for the “other,” we might have found the philosopher’s stone of governance. In any case, true scandals (intelligences leaks, Ambassador Stevens killed in the Islamist attack on Benghazi and the subsequent obfuscation of what happened and why, the IRS targeting conservative oriented non-profits which faced scrutiny at a rate of almost 15:1, etc.) have yet to stick or gain traction. There are three more years and no sign that any of these will actually matter.

Regardless of the legality or the propriety of their actions, what the Democrat party is doing is working, even if it is slower than what they prefer. This incremental approach works, even if it is frustrating for them. If a conservative compromises on a law over a conviction, he moves further away than where his ideals state he should be. If a liberal compromises the same way, his march is simply a little slower.

Finally, I want to point out one thing that bothers me about libertarians, especially the more fiscally conscious ones – the ones with whom I am probably the most aligned. There seems to be a streak of isolationism in them and a aversion to defense spending. While a lot of energy based problems are self-inflicted, one cannot deny that the American Navy has kept the seas safe for international commerce. Our Navy basically guarantees that the crude petroleum produced in the Levant is able to make it to America as well as the mostly free Western Europe. Our defense spending as a percentage of GDP has been falling for decades. If our Navy shrinks too much, we risk conceding important trade routes and strategic seas. China has recently published a map which claims Philippine territory de facto and de jure controlled by the Philippines which is slowly being consumed by Chinese soft invasions (invasions which we are, by treaty, supposed to repel, but for which we do nothing). Without defense spending, we have no ships, no fuel, no sailors to protect our interests and the interests of our allies. I honestly even hate the euphemism “interest” because it makes it sound like protecting commerce on the seas and protecting territorial integrity of allies is just a hobby, like knitting or bird watching. These are not pedestrian dawdlings – this is impactful for not only our way of life, but for the mostly democratic and free way of life that is genuinely threatened by the Communists in China and the Oligarchs in Russia.

Almost forgotten within the whirlwind of last week’s columns and news stories covering the Obama Administration’s scandals was a piece from The New York Times discussing the “onset of woes” he’s had to deal with. Various aides told The Times on, and off, the record how the President is doing all he can to make sure his second term agenda gets accomplished. They also mentioned how Obama is frustrated and “exasperated “with Washington, something which isn’t new to anyone who’s watched one of his news conferences.

The most telling comment in the piece is how Obama has talked about “going Bulworth” and just saying what he actually thinks. This is a reference to the Warren Beatty/Halle Berry film about a California senator who decides to tell everyone what he believes, no matter the consequences. The New York Post has taken it to mean Obama wants to come out and admit he’s a socialist, which the Bulworth character is. This could be true, but it also reveals a problem with our political system.

Politicians have a problem with being 100-percent honest. Big surprise, but a David Axelrod quote following the Bulworth revelation is even more telling. Axelrod told The Times, “But the reality is that while you want to be truthful, you want to be straightforward, you also want to be practical about whatever you’re saying.”

It’s not that politicians can’t tell the truth, it’s that they don’t think the public wants to know the truth.

The sad part is…they’re probably right.

More people would rather be told that things are “going to be okay,” instead of hearing the horrific reality of the situation.

The 2012 election is a perfect example of this. Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan were vilified for discussing the nation’s $16-trillion in debt. Columnists like Paul Krugman claimed the nation’s debt isn’t an issue, while Obama told David Letterman “we don’t have to worry about it short term.” Letterman asked only one follow up but that shouldn’t be surprising. He’s not Jake Tapper.

When Romney spoke his mind in the “infamous” 47-percent quote, he was said to “not represent all Americans” and to have “written off half the nation.” Obama, again, told Letterman about how he wanted to represent the “entire country,” but didn’t talk the substance of Romney’s quote, why he may have said it or the context.

Guaranteed: more people saw Obama make those comments than any of Romney’s speeches on the debt.

However, it’s not just Romney who was vilified. Ron Paul was called a “dangerous man” for some of his positions. A look at the jokes the late night talk show hosts said about Paul, shows they saw him more as a “crazy uncle” and not a real candidate. Now, Paul is a horrible messenger from time to time (see his Chris Kyle tweet and his September 11th comment) but he’s at least willing to speak his mind and tell the truth. Something refreshing in politics.

As much as people claim to want the truth, the reality is much different. The truth hurts and people prefer “flowers and sunshine” to reality. There’s a difference between pointing out problems and solutions, and just telling people it will be okay. This is why politicians use double-speak and seem distance. A majority of people don’t want reality.

There is a way for conservatives and libertarians to break through this. Outreach. Real outreach, not the failed attempt of Project ORCA by Romney’s team during 2012. Get out in the community and be with people. See what they experience. Explain to them how freedom and liberty is important and show them how it can make their lives better. Support what Deneen Borelli and Wayne Dupree are doing in the Black community and what “True the Vote” is trying to do with the Hispanic community. Talk to friends. Engage them.

And keep politicians accountable. It’s not always pragmatic to change one’s mind. Sometimes it’s simply political. Get them to explain why they do what they do. Get them to tell the truth.

A Washington Postarticle demonstrates how states are spending taxpayer money to put more people on taxpayer funded programs.

Agood [sic] recruiter needs to be liked, so Dillie Nerios filled gift bags with dog toys for the dog people and cat food for the cat people. She packed crates of cookies, croissants, vegetables and fresh fruit. She curled her hair and painted her nails fluorescent pink. “A happy, it’s-all-good look,” she said, checking her reflection in the rearview mirror. Then she drove along the Florida coast to sign people up for food stamps.

Oddly, there are no news reports of “get off of government assistance recruiters” using pet toys, food or other enticements to pull people off the taxpayer dole and into the real economy. No surprise then that America now has the lowest percentage of the population actually participating in the economy at this point in Obama’s reign.

You see, shiny things don’t entice those that want to do for themselves, strap on a briefcase or put on a pair of overalls and just get things done. Cat food and dog toys just aren’t enough for those Americans.

The recruiter in the post isn’t just some progressive saint, she’s paid .. by the state of Florida to get at least 150 people on to food stamps each month. A goal she exceeds on a regular basis.

As the government is already cutting back hours from FAA air traffic controllers, cancelling childrens’ spring trips to the White House and seeing the Obamaphone program experience ghastly spending, why is it that states would be using taxpayer money to fund recruiters to expand programs that are already costing more than the economy can bear? Because they too recognize the benefit of taking in federal taxpayer money and distributing it to others.

the job also has a second and more controversial purpose for cash-strapped Florida, where increasing food-stamp enrollment has become a means of economic growth, bringing almost $6 billion each year into the state. The money helps to sustain communities, grocery stores and food producers. It also adds to rising federal entitlement spending and the U.S. debt.

With almost 50 million Americans now taking in SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits, otherwise known as food stamps, states see a way to increase their local economies at the expense of federal taxpayers.

Florida isn’t the only culprit in the SNAP lottery:

Rhode Island hosts SNAP-themed bingo games for the elderly. Alabama hands out fliers that read: “Be a patriot. Bring your food stamp money home.” Three states in the Midwest throw food-stamp parties where new recipients sign up en masse.

While this program is intended for the less fortunate, hearing the tale of those able to afford golf carts motorized scooters doesn’t sound much like poverty:

She watched as a few golf carts and motorized scooters drove toward her on a road lined with palm trees, passing Spanish Lakes signs that read “We Love Living Here!” and “Great Lifestyle!” The first seniors grabbed giveaway boxes and went home to tell their friends, who told more friends, until a line of 40 people had formed at Nerios’s table.

One story the Post chose to magnify was of a gentleman who had made some bad investments and flushed away his life savings. While a sad story, the article also showed a better support network that he could have used, but why when he has American taxpayers instead?

A few weeks after they moved in, some of their 11 grandchildren had come over to visit. One of them, a 9-year-old girl, had looked around the mobile home and then turned to her grandparents on the verge of tears: “Grampy, this place is junky,” she had said.

Eleven grandchildren? They came from somewhere – his children. If he is to “dig himself out” at someone’s expense, why is it everyone’s responsibility when not that of his own family?

While individuals find the “SNAP” lable easier to carry around than “food stamps” or “commidities” (old reference), states simply like the revenue. As the SNAP brochures handed out from the recruiter say, “Every $5 in SNAP generates $9.20 for the local economy.”

Food stamp benefit enrollment has skyrocketed under President Obama. The greatest benefactors seem to be the states while everyone else sees the disposable incomes shrink.

$800 billion in tax increases form the center of President Obama’s new budget plan with some $1.2 Billion in cuts to future spending growth. Neither side seems to willing to support the plan.

Democrats say that the tax increases don’t go far enough and point to the liberal plan from the Senate that raises taxes by more than twice what Obama’s budget calls for.

Republicans see no spending cuts at all. The budget doesn’t reduce spending year-over-year, only the rate at which spending will increase each year. In fact, Obama’s budget adds $1 billion for 15 manufacturing innovation institutes, additional funds for high-speed rail, and free pre-school for low-to-moderate income families.

Both sides are concerned about the tax increase on the middle class.

The only entitlement reform, the method most economists agree is the only way to save those programs, is to change the way inflation is calculated. Currently, inflation is calculated based on price increases in a set basket of goods. The president’s plan would switch to chained-CPI which takes into account the behavior of switching to alternative, cheaper products as the price of an item increases. The resulting inflation rate is slower. Inflation calculations are used in determining the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for government programs like Social Security and for determining increases in the tax brackets.

Democrats are concerned that using chained-CPI will result in seniors seeing their Social Security checks not keep up with actual cost-of-living. Republicans are concerned that more middle-income earners will be pushed into higher tax brackets or above the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) threshold and forced to pay higher taxes.

Senate Democrats are threatening to give Obama yet another zero-support vote and House Republicans have called the plan “dead on arrival” in the people’s chamber. Since this plan closely resembles the failed “grand bargain” from 20011, there is little hope that it will materialize into an actual budget.

There are also concerns over the supposed spending slow-downs in the budget. Much of it depends on cost savings due to Obamacare.

With this year’s delay of implementing the exchanges, skyrocketing implementation costs, quickly rising premiums and the projected shortfalls in available care, rampant cost overruns are the expectation. Even the Department of Health and Human Services was caught off-guard by the complexity and costs of the President’s marquee health care legislation.

The President’s budget plan also removes charitable deductions and home mortgage deductions for higher earners. Non-profit groups that rely on huge donations from wealthy contributors are understandably concerned that the new budget plan, if enacted, could decimate their efforts to help others. Add in middle-earners being hit with higher taxes and the two groups that mainly fund charitable efforts will be far less likely to do so.

Low-income families are often heavily-dependent upon charity groups for food and clothing. The President’s plan will likely do more harm to lower and middle-income earners than anyone else.

For almost a century, progressives, socialists and centrists of almost every shade have spouted that in order to make things more fair, the government has to redistribute wealth from the richest to the poorest. During Barack Obama’s Presidency, taxes have been raised, government spending on the poor has exploded and yet, according to government figures, we are experiencing the highest levels of poverty in over fifty years.

In Decemeber, a government report showed that the government is spending almost $170 a day per household on those who are under the federal poverty line and receiving welfare. That’s $1,190.00 per week or almost $62,000 per year that was taken from someone more likely to invest in and build the economy.

In 2012, welfare paid better than a minimum wage job in 40 states. It’s not surprising then that 4.3 million Americans are on the program. Tack on other government programs and it gets easy to see why someone would rather stay home and on the dole than to start making a better life for themselves by taking a minimum wage job and working up to a better wage. 20% of all recipients of Aid to Families with Dependent Children have been on the program for more than five years. That is not a hand up, that is a handout.

To add insult to injury, nine states pay their welfare beneficiaries more than the national average for a teacher. Seven states pay more than $12/hr in welfare benefits. The top 10 benefit paying states average $13.68/hour wage equivalent. Why work?

Unfortunately for those that choose the easy early path, there is no way to climb out of poverty. Welfare recipients can’t get promoted or ask for a raise and eventually get above that line. Learning a trade or skill might start out at a lower hourly wage, but the more improved the worker, the more opportunities that present themselves and that will bring them out of poverty.

In 2011, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) reported that there were more than 80 over-lapped government assistance programs spending roughly $1 trillion dollars to aid the poor – the single largest budget item in 2011. That’s what the President said we needed to spend on Health Care for every single American. More than we spend on

If the huge expansion in social welfare programs were working, poverty would be dropping and more would be returning to work. Instead, we have the largest spike in those under the federal poverty line since the 1960’s and an economy that struggling under the weight of redistributive change, handouts and government over-regulation.

Have you really thought about that? Here’s how he did it.

There are more stories about this than I have toothpicks and we owned a restaurant. (Trust me, you end up with a lot of toothpicks after closing a restaurant.) I have a much different take on things but first “the facts:”

“No worries America”

When you think about it – I mean really think about it – can you even imagine having the desires (plural), let alone the time and energy of what’s left in a 24-hour day, to think of all the places you could go or of all of the friends you could take or could you find enough hours in what’s left of that day to spend $585,000 for a one night stay – even in Paris with an entire security entourage? And just who’s running our country without this brain child of gluttony at the helm?

Rush Limbaugh hit this nail on the head: People like this self-serving hooligan could not and would not (because they could not) do such things with their own money. They couldn’t afford to, even on their Congressional pay and perks. OUR money is paying for this amoral gluttony and whether you are a Liberal or Conservative, if you aren’t mad as hell about this waste and excess then there’s something seriously wrong with you – get out of here. Now.

“The Facts”

Biden did spend an evening in Paris in early February, but there are no details in the document about whether this contract is accurate or what the final hotel bill came to. A standard room in the hotel costs about $475 a night, and the royal two-bedroom suite runs about $3,900 a night.The Weekly Standard also points to another government contract for Biden’s London hotel stay in early February. The contract, to the Hyatt Regency London, totaled $459,339. An associated document with that contract said it was for 136 rooms for 893 room nights.

It can cost in the neighborhood of $500,000 a night — and that’s just for the hotel.Biden’s one-day visit to Paris on Feb. 4 required more than 100 rooms at the five-star Hotel InterContinental Paris Le Grand.

The lodging cost taxpayers $585,000.50, according to federal contracting records that emerged Friday.

When Mr Biden and his hefty entourage stayed in Paris for an evening in early February and it cost $585,000.50 for that single night. The Vice President likely rented out more than 100 rooms in the Hotel Intercontinental Paris Le Grand, though they must not have gotten a group discount rate.

The documentation for this contract is not as detailed as the London one, so the cost per room is not available. However, just like his London hotel, the Hotel Intercontinental Paris Le Grand is a five star hotel. Again, security concerns prevent these type of contracts from being open to bidding, but if the government was able to do some comparison shopping, the Hotel Intercontinental has a special offer, “Find a lower price elsewhere and your first night is free.” The Vice President stayed in Paris for one night.

Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, spent three days traveling Germany, London and Paris in February.They stayed at the five-star Hotel Intercontinental Paris Le Grand then spent $459,388.65 at the Hyatt Regency London the next day, also according to the Weekly Standard:

If you want to know how Biden did this against all reasonable human odds, you’re in the right place … Go here.

This is no joke. That’s the only reason I don’t parody this lamebrain administration’s unconscionable thuggary-theft of taxpayer money more. You need to read this linked article and make time for its video. Until then this will only get worse. GOP Old Guard Republicans are no better. They’re lovin’ it just as much. All on the backs of our labors (or entitlement program cut, whatever your case may be – it DOES effect you). Stop it or stop whining.

Contact your legislator today. Tell them to stop this gross spending as they deprive taxpayers who’re paying their overly extravagant bills. If not you, who? We could function better without a government than with this one. Pick your poison. I’ll take my chances with YOU any day.

I find each pronouncement by Congressman Mullin (R-OK-2) to be more and more enlightening as to his perception of his role in Congress, and ever more perplexing in my perception of his role in Congress. Mullin is now telling us what John Boehner said to the Republican conference in their meetings, focusing on keeping control of the House in the 2014 election. Hey, Markwayne, I guess you don’t realize it but We the People of the Oklahoma 2nd Congressional District didn’t elect you to come back here and tell us what John Boehner says. We sent you to Washington D. C. (DE Cesspool) to TELL John Boehner what WE SAID!!!!! I can find Boehner’s lame whining on any social network site, Facebook, Google, Twitter, and any number of television talking head shows; no need for you to come back and act as his spokesman.

This Continuing Resolution song and dance has to stop. Markwayne stated in this interview that he “wasn’t going to back himself into a corner” by saying he would vote against the CR if it doesn’t defund Obamacare. This is the typical “Potomac Two-Step” we have heard from others before him; “don’t take a stand so no one can quote you, and don’t vote for or against anything that can be used against you in an election”. No change in Washington from the OK-2nd District.

As it turns out Mullin voted in support of the Continuing Resolution, effectively saying the status quo is acceptable to him. Spend!! Spend!! Spend!! is the order of the day and Mullin will “go along to get along” with Boehner and the others in his dictatorial cabal. It seems that keeping promises and honoring his oath of office can wait until “next time”.

Tell me, Markwayne, when is “next time“ going to come? Boehner has been saying “next time” for more than 2 years now and our country continues running (CR?) down the road to financial ruin. I guess “being part of the Boehner team” is more important than honoring your oath of office and the promises you made to thousands of voters who believed you and put their confidence in you. We thought you were a part of OUR TEAM, not Boehner’s team!!!

Mullin mentioned in the interview on KFAQ that he used his time in a recent speech on the floor of the House of Representatives to complain about “partisanship” and to urge everyone to “just get along”. Isn’t that the same mantra we have heard from Republican establishment types for years now? More of the “go along to get along” crap from someone I thought would go up there and fight for liberty in my name.

The reason I supported Mullin in the Republican runoff is that I was afraid if his opponent George Faught was elected we would get a mushy yes-man, and I did not want any more of such people in Congress. I guess I was wrong about Mullin.

In his last appearance in Claremore Mullin stated several times that he “didn’t vote for Nancy Pelosi”. Just a “heads-up”, Markwayne, neither did Dan Boren in his last term. But Boren didn’t vote for John Boehner either. “Not voting for Nancy Pelosi” isn’t exactly a “get out of jail free card” in my book. Boren didn’t vote for Pelosi in his last term and he also didn’t vote for the final draft of Obamacare. He voted for it the first 7 times but not the last one, the one that everyone would see. We could have kept Boren and nothing would be different in Congress with a Democrat sitting in the OK-2 seat.

Now, take a look at Oklahoma’s 1st District representative. Jim Bridenstine doesn’t spend his time complaining about “partisanship”. He is aligning himself with conservatives, not the establishment, and standing up for We the People. He also refused to vote for Boehner as Speaker because he promised in his campaign that he wouldn’t. Bridenstine deposed former RINO John Sullivan in the 2012 primary elections. Bridenstine also fulfilled one of his promises to voters by voting against the CR . He is aligning himself with those who are upholding their oath of office by fighting the political corruption going on in Washington, not bowing to the corruption that is party politics in Congress.

Boehner’s plan is always next time, never now. I for one am tired of the “next time” mantra from Boehner and his patsy leadership team. Rep. Jim Bridenstine is standing up for We the People and making a concerted effort to actually change the way things are done in Washington while Mullin whines about finger pointing, and then falls into lock-step with the very people he was sent to stop.

Instead of throwing in with the conservative faction in Congress, as expected by voters, Mullin has chosen to follow the lead of RINO’s Cole, Langford, and Lucas in bowing to John Boehner and his band of traitors. Republican House Whip Kevin McCarthy is now saying they can get gun control and immigration passed “without support from Republicans”. If that isn’t in the top ten of most outrageous statements I don’t know what would qualify. This is the “leadership” Mullin voted for in the most important decision he will ever make in Congress. Who still believes in the Republican Party???

When Mullin had the chance to change the direction of our government he folded. His very first vote, the most important vote he will make, was for John Boehner to be Speaker of the House. Now he whines about how things are being done. WELL, DUH!!!! What did you expect Markwayne???? You voted for a man who is known to be a dysfunctional clod and a fan of the white flag approach to fighting for liberty. You voted for Boehner in spite of many in your district urging you to help remove him. Now you tell us what Boehner says!!! I don’t care, nor does anyone else care, what Boehner says. Your job there is to tell Boehner and his henchmen what WE the PEOPLE say.

If Mullin can’t manage to represent WE the People of the 2nd District any better than this he might as well come back to Broken Arrow and run his business. We don’t need another “yes-man” in Washington. I bet we can find someone in Northeastern Oklahoma who has the courage to stand against the Boehner Crime Family and represent the 2nd Congressional District in the fashion we expect. I wonder if hiring a campaign consultant he owed just over $60,000 as his chief of staff is a factor in the Mullin approach to “bi-partisanship”.

I submit this in the name of the Most Holy Trinity, in faith, with the responsibility given to me by Almighty God to honor His work and not let it die from neglect.

The situation in our nation today takes me back many years to the early days of a sit-com called “The Beverly Hillbillies”. I remember the Clampetts hooking up with “Honest John” Shafer, played by long time comedian Phil Silvers. “Honest John” sold them every monument in Washington, D C (De Cesspool). Those “dumb ole’ Clampetts” just kept giving “Honest John” Shafer checks made out to “C.A.S.H.” If you grew up with the Clampetts, Milburn Drysdale, and Jane Hathaway you will understand. Congress and the ruling elite are “Honest John” Shafer and We the People are the Clampetts. We are being conned by experts who make it their lifelong career to scam us into giving them everything we have while thinking they are taking care of us and “looking out for our best interests”.

Senator Tom Coburn (R-Ok) has come out with what he calls “Back in Black: A Deficit Reduction Plan”. In this plan Coburn points out numerous places where millions of our tax dollars are wasted. But who else in Congress has looked at his plan? What leadership, in either party, has paid one second of attention to it? They ignore it because Coburn’s plan will actually benefit the “Clampetts” to the detriment of “Honest John Shafer”!!

This is our problem, America. We have a plan to cut $9 trillion dollars without cutting back on anything that is necessary for life in America to improve. We sit here and watch Obama, then Boehner, then Reid, then McConnell, then Pelosi, then the usual Idiot Corp of the government bureaucracy stroll out to tell We the People how much we are going to suffer. They are even worried about the Island of Guam tipping over. Oh, wait, that was last time. This time Maxine Waters said we were going to lose 170 million of the 140 million jobs currently in the United States. Again I quote the Aflac duck:” HUH?????????”

So, I am wondering why, when Sen. Coburn has this long list of waste items that can be cut, that none of these cuts ever get made? Why doesn’t either political party make even the most minor of efforts to remove this wasteful spending? Why is it that every time we come to this point, as we do on a regular basis, it is always the same things being cut, always the things that are going to cause the most pain to the lives of We the People? Why are we giving billions of dollars to Egypt in the form of Abrams tanks and F-16 Falcon fighter/bombers? Why are we giving arms and money to the Syrian ”rebels”, actually Al Qaeda, when that money could stop the closure of airports, daycare centers, free medical clinics, etc.? Compassion for the poor??

And, what about the billions being given to the United Nations? What about the foreign aid to Saudi Arabia? Saudi Arabia???? Don’t they make trillions every year selling us oil at preposterous rates???? These things can’t be cut but we can cut money going to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, soldiers and sailors serving their nation in far off lands? Come on America, don’t tell me you still buy this crap from these party oriented confidence men!!!!

Ladies and Gentlemen of America, you are being conned by people who only care about themselves; their power, their prestige, and how they are going to continue to rule us. Our nation is being bled dry; financially, morally, and Constitutionally by people in both political parties who care nothing about We the People, the Constitution, and the future of our Republic.

Barack Obama continues to fly around the nation at great expense. Nothing is too grand for “der leader”!!! No one in Congress, other than Rand Paul and Tom Coburn, has cut any money out of their office budgets to turn back to We the People. No one in “leadership” has done anything to actually lead by example. Michelle Obama sticks her nose into anything and everything like she is royalty. We daily hear all the horror stories about how America is going to suffer; yet we spend $1.4 BILLION per year to keep “The Jeffersons” in the White House, not to mention their numerous Five-Star resort vacation trips and separate planes for the family dog!!! Don’t tell me we can’t cut expenses without hurting the citizens!!!

Sen. Coburn has the answers to many of our problems right there in his “black book” but no one in the leadership of either political party will allow any of it to come up for consideration. Why does this go on if they are as concerned as they all say they are about the well-being of American citizens? Well, I guess the political class does have an answer, more government; more of what caused the problems in the first place.

This is a Republican Party problem; this is a Democrat Party problem; this is a political opportunism problem. Political opportunists in both parties are pitting We the People against one another. The political ruling class has joined forces to frighten and intimidate citizens into acquiescing to their agenda of continued tighter control of our lives.

I wrote a few days ago about the need for a political party to represent the 67% of We the People who identify as TEA Party conservatives. Neither political party has shown any desire to actually fix the problems our nation faces. It is more about pointing fingers and placing blame so nothing ever gets fixed. There are good people in Washington but they are outnumbered terribly. They need us as much as we need them. We are a team!!!

There is a light at the end of the tunnel still. I am proud of and encouraged by my fellow Americans who are stepping up now. The sheriffs and police chiefs who have pledged to refuse to disarm citizens are a breath of freedom. We need a wholesale change of perspective, to one based on The Constitution. I see it beginning at the county level with these sheriffs and their constituents. We can take this unity to Washington if we will band together in mutual protection, and support those people in Congress who will speak out for us. This is a call to action for YOU. Contact your Senator, your Congressman, and demand they get on board with this.

I submit this in the name of the Most Holy Trinity, in faith, with the responsibility given to me by Almighty God to honor his work and not let it die from neglect.

This was originally posted April 09, 2011 during that threat of government shutdown. It’s regrettable the American people are rounding this corner again. The sharp contrast of lost standards from a mere two-years ago reflects how Obama has effectively “nudged” a serious deterioration of American expectations. This is a most shameful course of action for any American President.

The president has enormous personal discretion in deciding ‘who’ and ‘what’ gets paid during a government shutdown. He can use that discretion to turn a government shutdown into a favorable or unfavorable event for The People; or, as has been the case with this president, to use it against The People to propagandize his own political gain. Legal authorities have suggested this behavior is impeachable. Bring it on.

Those certain to be paid without interruption are the politicians: The White House, Congress and their staffs. Most of us don’t know that “furloughed” federal employees are typically paid retroactively anyway. Of late we’ve been told federal employees were furloughed only to find they didn’t work but they did continue to receive pay. This sheds a glaring light on Obama’s self-serving propensity for imposing harships on people of an entire country, purely for sake of his personal pleasure and propagandizing political gain.

The big question in 2011’s government shutdown was, how does an American President possibly justify denying pay to troops who are defending our country; and to our most vulnerable elderly who’ve built it? Who among us could possibly condone such acts?

Prior administrations have generally accepted that the following services remain uninterrupted:

Services funded by permanent appropriations that don’t expire; and some services funded by annual appropriations, “if there’s a reasonable and articulable connection between the function to be performed and the safety of human life or the protection of property.”

Services that legally require new appropriations, having expired during a shutdown, can be extended, such as “national security, law enforcement and medical care for those already in hospitals, as well as some that many might find both surprising and infuriating, like ‘the conduct of foreign relations’.” Services requiring new appropriations are the government services most typically subject to shutdown. This president has proven his decisions as anything but “typical.”

Stan Collender of Capital Gains and Games of Roll Call, a political and economic news source, wrote “President has the Upper Hand in a Shutdown.” The article discusses a president’s wide range of personal discretion (excerpted below). It is appalling how much Obama has so radically altered this rationale from a mere two-years ago when first reported:

The Obama administration will have enormous discretion in other ways. Whole departments, agencies and programs are not automatically exempt just because they fall into one of the categories, it will be up to the White House to decide which activities will be conducted if a shutdown actually occurs.

The administration is also free to reject precedents for reasons that include economic and technological changes, new programs and functions, political hardball, and more.

The bottom line about a federal government shutdown is simple: The president has far more room to maneuver and is in a much better position to take control of the situation than Congress. As Clinton showed in 1995 and 1996, when he reclassified some programs several weeks into the fight so that they could operate despite originally being on the shutdown list, the White House even has the ability to change its determinations.

The Obama administration clarified the scope of the potential government shutdown saying that it would impact about 800,000 employees and stop services like IRS paper filling and returns, and close institutions like the Smithsonian.

A senior administration official also said that military personnel would continue to earn money, however they wouldn’t actually receive it until the government is funded again. They’ll be receiving full pay checks until April 8.

There are two areas that guide who will stay working. Government activities will stay open that:

1) Have alternative funding – like user fees or appropriations that aren’t renewed every year.

2) Are necessary for safety of life and protection of property.

Here’s a snapshot of what else stays open and what closes during this potential shutdown:

800,000 federal employees (the same as 1995) the official says is the “vicinity” of workers who would be affected.

Military members will continue get paid through April 8th, but after that are only earning and will get money when the government is funded again.

What services will be suspended? IRS filings with paper claims won’t be processed and audits will also be stopped. Electronic claims will continue. Small business loans and Federal House Administration mortgages will also be halted. (The official noted that FHA had 12 percent of housing market in 1995, and now it’s up to 30 percent)

Another excellent source is by Ed O’keefe at Federal Eye entitled “Government Shutdown: Facts and Figures.” These linked articles provide important, additional information about what is and is not typical in government shutdowns.

In 2011 I wanted to know why Obama, at his personal discretion, routinely opted not to keep paychecks going to our Troops overseas and during his “Kinetic Military Action?” Did he forget he’s supposed to be their “Commander In Chief” and the responsibilities that job truly entails? Did he ever know? Or is it as simple as it seems: Obama only knows how to use those around him in appeasing himself?

Given the countless lies this administration told in trying to ramp up fake consequences of the Sequester, we no longer have to ask these questions. If by now you are not indignantly insulted by the fools this president plays us, nothing can help. These are Obama’s personal choices. It cannot be any more clear than it is why he’s making personal choices that are directly aimed at denegrating us as a people. It is what it is. He is what he is.

The big deal they are making over this sequester nonsense is giving me a headache. I have made this point on several social network site discussions so I thought I would put it all together on one place. Obama, his cabinet minions, and all of the members of Congress come out and say; Social Security checks will stop, meat plants will shut down, the FBI won’t be able to track terrorists, the Border Patrol won’t be able to secure the borders, airports will nearly shut down, pony rides in national parks will end, the sun won’t come up on March 2, and on and on and on. And the RINO’s in Congress aren’t doing any better.

This is such tripe that it is actually embarrassing, and infuriating at the same time. This is the best we have to govern our nation? For anyone who doesn’t already know, let me lay out a few facts that you won’t hear on any “news media” outlet, including FOX News. The “media” covers the false flag talking points arguing but not the facts. NOTHING IS BEING CUT!!!! That is just the truth of it. The “baseline budgeting” system our government runs under calls for about 1.8% – 2% increase every year. This is how they do it, every year. They build in an automatic increase in every department in government, and they do it for the very reason you are seeing played out again for the 300th time in the last 25 years.

Follow me here because this is the crux of the game being played by both political parties. Spending goes UP, every year, in spite of the “horrendous cuts” they are “forced” to make. The federal government is expected to spend approximately $3.7 trillion in 2013, yet they are wringing their hands and fretting over cutting $85 billion out of that total, which is 1.1% by the way. According to figures released by the Heritage Foundation the federal government spent $3.6 trillion in FY 2012. If we take $85 billion off of the projected $3.7 trillion in 2013 we still find the government spending $3.615 trillion in 2013. What the “the sky is falling” politicians are telling us is that spending $61.5 billion MORE, 1.66% more, in 2013 than they spent in 2012 is somehow a cut in spending, and will cause untold calamities if it happens. How does that work? I must have had a defective education because that doesn’t look they are spending less to me.

The “hawks” on defense want social items cut and the “hawks” on social items want defense cut. So, they come to a “compromise”, eventually. They posture and argue and pound their chests for their cause and in the end some things may get cosmetic ”cuts” (read less increase than planned) but spending overall still goes up. They have “fought” on television, on radio, on the floors of the chambers and told us how ”terrible” life will be if we cut their pet project. Both political parties get their sound bites in so low information voters on both sides of the aisle get just enough to think someone actually cares about what affects them and hence can count on that vote the next time it is needed.

The question I have, and one that never gets answered, is “if the country is going to almost totally shut down because we “cut” $85 billion, why are they spending $3.7 TRILLION and where does the rest of it go?” This “spending cut” is going to cause firemen, policemen, and teachers to be laid off? Since when does the federal government pay for these services? Isn’t that why I pay county property taxes and state taxes? Social Security checks won’t go out, pony rides in national parks will end (sad face), soldiers won’t have what they need to fight, and 700,000 federal employees in the Defense Department will be laid off? WHY??? Won’t the $61.5 billion MORE they plan to spend this year cover those social security checks, pony rides, soldier supplies, and employees just like they did last year? Every politician and every bureaucrat comes out and cries about how their particular area is going to die a death of financial starvation, yet government is going to spend more money than last year. Sorry, I guess I am just too stupid to understand their logic; at least they think so.

And to spending cuts, I have yet to hear Obama speak about cutting back on his vacations to Hawaii and Spain, golf with Tiger Woods, a special Leer jet for his dog to go to Martha’s Vineyard, or a junket on Air Force One to Nevada or wherever to announce another of his “green energy” or “jobs” scams that he could have announced from Washington. I haven’t heard about ‘Ole Nan’ giving up her first class jet for a broom.

Rand Paul recently returned $600,000 that he was authorized as a Senator but didn’t spend. Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma has been doing this for years. A side question is “how much money do they get for ‘office expenses’?” Apparently too much!!

I also haven’t heard anything about cutting congressional or White House staff, not to mention the pay raises they seem to get quite often. We hear the horror stories about how We the People will suffer due to “cutbacks” but never how Congress or the Executive Branch plan to do with less. It is always We the People who must do with less while they spend more on themselves, with never a true cut in government spending. Rush recently mentioned on his radio show that 7 of the 10 richest counties surround or are very near Washington, D.C. (De Cesspool). No recession in or near Washington!!!

In the real world they are scamming liberal and conservative voters alike. The people running OUR government take We the People for being so stupid we can’t figure this out. The sad fact of the matter is that about 51%, at least, buy into this lie. How do people like Chuck Schumer, Mitch McConnell, John Boehner, Diane Feinstein, Sheila Jackson Lee, Charles Rangel, Hank (Guam might tip over) Johnson, John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Eric Cantor, Jeb Hensarling, Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer, etc. continue to get elected?

Much of the problem comes from the Republican Party yet these same people who turn their backs on conservatives get elected time and again. WHY???? I don’t know of a single major promise Republicans have made in 20 years that they have actually followed through on, yet they continue to receive the same support from the same people.

The problem is that we have no other options. It is either ultra-liberal Democrats or very-liberal Republicans. We vote time and again for the lesser of two evils because that is all the options we have. That has to change if we are going to salvage the Republic established in 1791 and defended for all these years by the blood of American patriots. The biggest problem facing America is career politicians and bureaucrats who could care less what We the People think or what the Constitution says. A 3rd party encompassing the 67% of We the People who make up the TEA Party could cure these problems. Where are the leaders to step up and lead????

I submit this in the name of the Most Holy Trinity, in faith, with the responsibility given to me by Almighty God to honor His work and not let it die from neglect.

For the past month I have been reading, writing, and then rewriting articles that I haven’t finished. I have been wracking my brain, trying to figure out a way to get the message through to people, so they understand we are rapidly becoming a POLICE STATE and quite literally on the brink of civil war. There are so many factors to consider and so much evidence out there which supports what I am saying, yet, I still wonder why so many Americans remain disengaged or have no interest? Are they just plain stupid or is it they just don’t care? Whatever the reason, if there is one, once the inevitable occurs it will be way to late for many people.

Our President is allowing drowns to spy on its own people, they have cameras already in place, and more importantly — no one can get an answer, from the people you put in charge of your life, as to whether or not it is okay to shoot US citizens. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x90cCC1UDWE Perhaps some of you think you that will be safe? I don’t know what what you think? I’m just wondering? It would appear not many people seem interested in the military training that is suddenly occurring nationwide. And what about the fact that SOME police and sheriff depts are reporting they will NOT support any Bills which go against the 2nd Amendment, nor will they infringe on the rights, guaranteed in the Constitution, and take fire on American citizens. Shouldn’t every police dept, sheriff dept be vocal about that? Why aren’t they. Perhaps you might want to look into that by writing, calling, and getting answers from you city, county, and state depts. http://www.news4jax.com/news/Sheriffs-show-support-for-2nd-Amendment/-/475880/18403042/-/xs13brz/-/index.html

I think everyone, well, most everyone can agree the economy is failing. When the feds stop printing the the worthless money they are putting out, as the debt continues to spiral out of control, and as taxes continue to rise by a president who ‘swore’ (lol) he wouldn’t raise taxes I think most of us can agree it is just a matter of time before our economic system fails completely. Some states are already at ways to remedy the inevitable by creating their own currency. http://consumerist.com/2013/02/06/is-virginia-really-trying-to-mint-its-own-money/

The Congress, whenever two thirds of both houses shall deem it
necessary, shall propose amendments to this Constitution, or, on the
application of the legislatures of two thirds of the several states,
shall call a convention for proposing amendments, which, in either case,
shall be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of this
Constitution, when ratified by the legislatures of three fourths of the
several states, or by conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one
or the other mode of ratification may be proposed by the Congress;
provided that no amendment which may be made prior to the year one
thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any manner affect the first
and fourth clauses in the ninth section of the first article; and that
no state, without its consent, shall be deprived of its equal suffrage
in the Senate.

“What is Convention USA? Convention USA is an interactive, virtual convention being conducted on the Internet for the purpose of proposing amendments to the Constitution of the United States in the manner provided for in Article V of the federal constitution. Who is behind it? Convention USA, Inc. is a Florida non profit corporation organized by Judge Thomas E. Brennan and a few associates. Judge Brennan was Chief Justice of Michigan and the founder of the Thomas M. Cooley Law School, which is the largest accredited college of law in America.” https://www.conventionusa.org/

This article touches on some of the issues at stake. I would be here all day if I tried to present more, plus it might already be overwhelming for some people. Nonetheless you have a moral, ethical, and civil duty, not just to yourself, but to every single person in your life, to examine the facts, do some research, and then prepare accordingly.